Derek McInnes’ side could end up with Europa League boost thanks to Manchester United

Scotland have slumped to 25th in the UEFA Rankings and all three Europa League qualifiers were due to play in the first qualifying round, alongside the dregs of European minnows.

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It’s a huge comedown for Scotland as eight years ago, they were ranked 10th and had six teams in Europe with Rangers directly qualifying for the Champions League group phase.

But Aberdeen have been given an unlikely reprieve.

If a team wins the Europa League and fails to qualify for the Champions League Group Stages domestically, then Aberdeen will receive a bye to the second round because Scotland will move up a place. This is because the Europa League winner qualifies for the Champions League now, leaving an extra spot in Europe’s secondary competition.

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For example, if Manchester United won the Europa League, where they are due to play Celta Vigo in the semi-final and don’t qualify for the Champions League Group Stages by finishing in the top three, then Scotland will be treated as 24th, which means their Cup winners will enter in the second qualifying round.

The other Europa League semi-finalists – Ajax and Lyon – are both highly unlikely to qualify for the Champions League Group Stages.

The only other realistic scenario of Aberdeen not receiving a bye would be if outsiders Celta Vigo won the Europa League and didn’t qualify for next season’s tournament by finishing in the top seven.